


Star Wars: Frontlines

by achrmy



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: bloodline spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-04-20 14:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14262531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achrmy/pseuds/achrmy
Summary: It is a time of pure terror. The FIRST ORDER has decimated the peaceful Republic and is now sweeping across the galaxy to seize military control. Only General Leia Organa’s band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny.While the main force of the First Order speeds towards the rebel base Organa has sent orders to the few Resistance agents scattered across the galaxy. Their first missions are to locate and extract any surviving Republic senators, rescuing the last vestiges of democracy in the galaxy.





	1. Part 1: Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lucasfilm and Disney own all things Star Wars

_It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be…_

The holonet had begun playing the same videos on loop. Liberation point satellites recording Hosnian Prime and its moons fracturing and exploding. Galas and presentations cut short, sometimes in mid-sentence with nothing but a tint of red, but a few holovids showed people crying out in panic and the viewpoint turning up to a blood-red sky seconds before darkness.

Hosnian Prime, its moons, its peoples…were gone.

As was the Republic Senate it hosted and the galactic government’s fleet. 

Neenah tore her eyes away from holos. She was facing Riosa’s visible horizon, distant mountain peaks covered with a dusting of snow, but her consciousness turned inward, she saw none of it.

She had no orders in response, not yet. She couldn’t even guess what they could be, but they would come and soon. 

In took just a few moments of packing and she was running out of her safe house, but stopped cold just outside the door. 

_Ransolm…_ He might have been there. She did not know, few would, but it was possible.

Nothing to do about that now and she continued forward. But the thought traveled with her all the way to the port. 

She had been checking her comm regularly, hidden in a segment of her bracelet, and it vibrated just as she reached the landing pads. 

_queenhat rendezvous 11:DC:49_

That was her call sign and those were her hyperspace coordinates. The resistance was putting her into action.


	2. Part 1: Chapter 2

When she emerged from hyperspace Neenah saw just one other ship adrift, an older model typical for the Resistance, a CR90 Corvette. Her onboard scanners also noted the vast outer shockwaves of an ancient supernova remnant off her starboard side..

Command is being especially cautious, Neenah thought as she considered the deadly astronomical phenomena, still hurtling across space even thousands of years after the explosive stellar event. Dangerous enough to hopefully keep all others away. She opened a communication channel to the other ship.

“Corvette this is Queenhat.” A burst of static issued forth in reply to her hail and codename before fading into background noise and a response.

“It’s good to hear your voice.”

Neenah let out a breath she had been holding since watching the decimation of Hosnian Prime. “You as well. I’m ready to dock.”

“Go right ahead and come onboard.” The communications shut off immediately after his reply. 

Ransolm Casterfo, former Centrist party Galactic Republic senator, stood at the bridge of the corvette. He was already turning to see her when Neenah joined him. For a brief moment she was reminded of the first time she had seen him, slumped over, dressed in drab prison garb, a man marked by unutterable sadness that struck all the handsome features from his face. He had looked at her as though she were his only hope. Today he was a tall, upright, dark haired, middle-aged man, but his face was almost as grim as the day of their first meeting. He didn’t let that completely suppress the slight smile on his face when he saw her, however.

Neenah strode forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I had been thinking you were there…”

“I haven’t been on Hosnian Prime for some time, thankfully.” Ransolm broke off, heading out of the bridge into the corvette’s passageways, more grey than white with aging. Neenah followed.

He talked as they walked. “Just over a month ago I intercepted a message from Agent Belost. It was a recall order to all First Order agents on Hosnian Prime. It raised my suspicions as well as command’s and Leia ordered the removal of all Resistance assets in the system as well.”

“So they knew about the First Order’s superweapon?” If they did had General Organa warned the Republic?

“We suspected, but we discovered no further intelligence until much more recently.” Failure rang through his voice. “A First Order recall could have hinted the start of a conventional invasion. I never found the means to dig deep enough.”

The onboard transmission from the bridge sounded in the corvette’s long hallways. “Sir, we have incoming transmissions from multiple ships now, including a flagship that’s just joined us.” 

They picked up the pace in response. As they walked together Neenah studied Casterfo’s expression. “I hope you don’t blame yourself.”

“I know I shouldn’t,” he admitted. “But I still do. Our next mission will hopefully start to make things right.” 

Casterfo stopped at an immediately adjacent wall comm panel. “I’m at the port airlock. Dock us with the flagship, myself and Niisha will be boarding.”

There was the thump of an airlock seal and Neenah and Ransolm walked aboard the docked Pelta-class frigate, about twice the size of Ransolm’s corvette, with the capacity to host a small fighter escort. The ship’s central command station was located just behind the bridge. At the forefront stood the ship’s captain, a human woman. She was shorter than her two armed escorts, her skin creased with decades of age and as dark as a human’s could be. Her cropped hair was barely visible beneath a Resistance uniform cap. Neenah did not recognize her, but was reminded of the old guard, Rebel Alliance fighters that made up a significant working body of the current Resistance against the First Order. When Casterfo entered the captain gave him a respectful nod and he took a position close to her. 

“Neenah Niisha, this is Captain Daley, currently of Twilight’s Promise. She’s in command of our upcoming mission.”

Daley reached out to shake Neenah’s hand. “I’ve heard about you. You’ve kept an awful lot of our pilots and soldiers out of prison.”

“Thank you captain.” Neenah made sure to respond to the captain’s firm handshake in kind. “It seems though that those days are done.”

The captain kept to her silence and only nodded. Many across the galaxy considered the Resistance ragtag malcontents or glory seeking militia led by an aging warmonger. Daley gave every intent to keep up a professional appearance in order to quench just a bit of the fuel feeding those views. 

Other beings began to file into the room and scattered hologram figures appeared. Neenah recognized some of the faces, people she had met only once to exchange information or beings she worked with to establish witnesses or upcoming proceedings. She did notice that some gave a start when they laid eyes on Casterfo. They quite likely saw the former Centrist senator who had orchestrated attacks on the Galactic Senate (a false accusation) or the man who slandered General Organa by revealing her parentage from Darth Vader (regrettably true). Thankfully they remained silent. By the time the incoming traffic ceased there were just under a score of them together. Neenah took a moment to notice that the captain was the only one among them that wore the Resistance’s minimal, but standard uniform. Casterfo wore a one-shouldered midnight blue cloak over a black leather tunic. Everyone else, including Neenah herself, wore informal, even well worn, civilian clothes. A few even had traces of grit they had not had the time to scrub off their faces.

Captain Daley motioned to speak and all others quieted. 

“Let me lay out in all seriousness our situation: The First Order has unequivocally begun a full scale invasion of systems across the galaxy. They have a weapon on the scale of a Death Star that they have already utilized. Multiple bodies in the Hosnian system were recently destroyed including the Republic and its entire military apparatus. It is my sad duty to report that one of our own, Commander Korr Sella, is among the deceased. She died while delivering a final warning to the Republic Senate.”

Judging by scattered looks of shock some members of the audience had apparently just emerged from their previous undercover missions, but with the proxy war complete very different roles were about to begin. Neenah’s own heart sank upon hearing a name she recognized, having previously believed there had been no Resistance presence in the Hosnian system. Daley gave them a moment and continued.

“The Resistance is now the only standing galactic-wide military force. As I speak the bulk of our Resistance forces are engaging in attack runs to destroy the First Order’s superweapon.”

“Our mission is separate, but a crucial one.” She gestured to Casterfo. “Some of you here are not yet aware that you owe your lives to this man here, Ransolm Casterfo, that for quite some time he has been the source of much of our intelligence on the First Order. The previous charges of treason laid against him were fabrications performed by First Order agents. He is second in command of our mission, assigned by General Organa herself.” Casterfo lowered his head respectfully in response to his superior officer’s generous words of support. As soon as Daley laid down Organa’s name no one gave even the appearance of internal reservations. She stepped aside to allow Casterfo to come forward and speak.

“Thank you Captain.” For a man speaking before persons who just a moment ago would have decried him an enemy of peace and freedom he appeared calm. “There are a number of Republic Senators we know of who were off world during the First Order attack. Gathered together these persons can make up a government in exile during the war, which would add a great deal of legitimacy to resistance against the First Order. To create this government we need to secure as many surviving Republic senators as we are able. This is the mission high command and General Organa have given us. We will need to spread out to reach all of them in the short amount of time we have before the invasion encompasses too many systems.That means each separate team will be small in numbers of persons, but when have we ever had a choice?” He gestured to all those present and gave an attempt at an encouraging smile. “Captain Daley will be sending out assignments momentarily.”

When Casterfo paused a male Rodian spoke out. “What if some of these senators appear sympathetic to the First Order?”

Daley’s face turned hard. “If there are senators who do not wish to come under our protection, use every persuasive measure you have, but ultimately respect their wishes. However…if they state or appear to have any inclination about joining with the First Order, utilize every measure short of physical violence to prevent that from happening. The galaxy needs to see a viable and familiar alternative to what’s coming at them right now.” Neenah considered the captain’s meaning and recalled when the Centrist senators had separated from the Republic, how devastating that blow had been to the new, post-empire galactic democracy. 

Those were the words that truly drove home the desperate need for the mission’s success. Captain Daley let the silence linger, waiting for questions, to the point where the quiet became uncomfortable to most and then continued. 

“We have our mission. You are dismissed. Standby briefly for assignments and prepare to depart.” 

Holograms flickered off and those physically present jogged off to the airlocks. There was little time for further talk, but those who passed near Casterfo gave respectful nods or some other slight physical gesture of respect. Neenah joined him.

“I wish it was happening under better circumstances, but I’m very glad you’re finally starting to get some recognition.” Everything Captain Daley had said was true, but more importantly to give public vindication to Casterfo…it warmed her heart every rare chance she witnessed it. To most of the galaxy and on court record he was a traitor. That widespread reputation had actually served him well for espionage, but with the war moving from behind the scenes to the frontlines both his and her role were about to change.

“Niisha!” Captain Daley called out to her just as she was about to leave the conference room with Casterfo. “You’re with me.”

In surprise she looked back at Casterfo whose expression just confirmed the situation. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I wish we were together on this. But out of all us if anyone can handle negotiations all on their lonesome with panicked senators that would be me.” 

“Just you?” She had heard him say they needed to spread out thin, but…

“I’ll have some firepower with me, but yes, I’ll be the only one doing the talking…hopefully.”

True enough, she thought. His attire may have been a simpler style and cheaper weave than he had worn in his senate days, but more than anyone else present he looked the part of senatorial envoy. “Do good. Stay safe.” I wish I had your confidence in my wartime abilities.

“You as well.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and turned down the corridor to his corvette and Neenah was alone.

A moment later she strode into the ship’s bridge. Captain Daley was already standing up front, looking between two separate datapads. She gave Neenah no attention at the moment.

“Captain!” One of the bridge officers not only called out, but jumped up and ran to Daley. “Captain, we’ve received a direct message from Home Base!”

A few moments later Daley was on ship-to-ship broadcast. “Before we begin our mission to restore the Republic, I’ve just received word that the Resistance has destroyed the First Order’s superweapon.”

Gasps echoed across the bridge followed by cheers, almost hesitant in disbelief, and then growing in sound. Half the tension that had been in the air a moment before evaporated in an instant.

“They have done their part, now let us honor them by doing ours. May the Force be with us!” Daley turned to the Sullustian at navigation. “Helmsman make the jump. Tell the A-Wing pilots to be on standby shortly before we arrive.” 

Neenah whispered to herself. “May the Force be with us.” Time to save the galaxy.

The stars around them transitioned into blinding white.


	3. Part 1: Chapter 3

“Niisha, what are your thoughts on our objectives and what might hinder them?”

She with Captain Daley, alone, in Twilight’s Promise’s conference room. Boxes of spare parts or more likely junk cluttered the top of the only table; all of the seat meant to have gathered around it were gone. It had clearly been a long time since any diplomacy had gone on in this chamber. 

The only sound in the room was the low hum of the ship’s hyperdrive until Neenah spoke. “I’ll be honest Captain, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m…adequate with a blaster and that’s about it. Right now the galaxy doesn’t need lawyers.” She remembered a time when the subterfuge and backdoor tactics of the Resistance nagged at her conscience. The conventional war General Organa always said would come had now arrived and a moral compass would be easier to define. But instead her nerves were on edge because all the confidence and skills she had built up to this point were ebbing away. 

“Not true,” Daley replied, adamant. “Yes, gunships and battles are replacing the show trials and skirmishes, but I still need the skills I know you have for this mission and missions to come. You kept a good man alive for years and General Organa recruited you for a reason.”

“I don’t know how much you’ve heard about me Captain, but I wasn’t recruited because I was the best choice. General Organa recruited me because I was her only choice.” Organa’s reputation did as much to attract aging rebel fighters and young space jockeys and as it did to drive away people with more pacifist aligned professions, such as lawyers and diplomats. Casterfo had been the hook to Organa’s line to nab Neenah. 

The Captain gave an impatient noise. “She would not have asked you to defend the Resistance if she thought you would fail. So don’t be self-deprecating. It’s not endearing and it’s certainly not what we need right now.”

“Yes, Captain.” Yet Neenah continued to wring her hands behind her back. As much as she had come to accept the necessity of the Resistance, as much as she now sincerely believed the First Order had to be stopped, Neenah Niisha was still most comfortable with a state of peace. What part could she possibly play in all-out war?

Daley handed her a datapad. Neenah recognized the first name on the list, the name of the senator they were currently on route to intercept, Senator Thecla. But to her surprise she recognized the second name and a few others further down the list. This can’t be a coincidence, she thought.

Daley pointed at the second name, Senator Torvan Gorravus of the Markar system. “I believe you’re familiar with this one. I’m aware of one of his past motions, that the Republic proactively dismantle the Resistance. But you tell me, what is the First Order to him?” 

Neenah drew from her memories of the Resistance’s spy networks that she had once passed on to their allies in the Senate. “He’s not a First Order agent, at least he wasn’t a few months ago. Casterfo delved into his finances and contacts before the senate vote, there was nothing that caught our attention.” She studied his name on the datapad as though that would help her recall every detail. “He was close to senators directly connected to the First Order though and they were able to manipulate him. We figured he was their feeler to gauge how much they could use rule of law against the Resistance.”

Captain Daley let out a sound of derision. “I’m sure they would have loved it if the Republic did their dirty work for them.”

General Organa figured the same as you Captain, Neenah thought. Leia had many opponents among the now mostly deceased Republic senators. They often called her a warmonger or a relic trying to relive her glory days from a time before Neenah was born. There had been multiple denunciations in the Senate, just words, but damaging all the same. However, Senator Gorravus had put forward a motion that would have called on the Republic to take proactive measures to dismantle and disarm the Resistance, a prospect that was a greater danger to them at the time than the First Order. 

Neenah paused. “Goravvus was passionate about his bill. Multiple times during his deliberations he would say the First Order was independent, self-sufficient, and peaceful, the opposite of the Resistance. However, very little of what he said aligned with the First Order’s mission statement.” She pointed down at other names. “Some of these Senators…I’m familiar with them. Senators Donatian and Rogatian both cast votes against Goravvus’s motion. I spoke to Donatian’s fellow ambassador. 

Daley smiled. “See? You’re already doing it.” When Neenah responded with a confused look Captain Daley gestured to her own uniform. “My job is to make the Resistance look like a legitimate threat to the First Order. Before recent events you were defending a single pilot or soldier. We still need words and knowledge to defend the Resistance as a whole.”

For a few moments Neenah reviewed the last few years of her life. Sleepless, guilt-ridden nights on Riosa, desperate to save the life of a man that she had become more and more personally convinced was innocent. Then laying out ways Organa’s burgeoning Resistance could work within galactic and planetary laws. She could still count the number of times she had fired a blaster like the one now holstered on her hip in combat. But all those other skills she already had were not going away. Just now when Daley was asking questions Neenah’s answers came out naturally.

“You…you’re right Captain.”

“Then get ready. I’m making you second in command on this mission.” Neenah felt herself physically balk at the sudden promotion. “I don’t have the authority to give you a rank, but I’ll make sure everyone knows that when I’m not present you give the orders. Even when we’re together do not hesitate to give your good word.”

“Thank you Captain. Thank you for your confidence in me.”

“I said you wouldn’t be here if high command and I thought you shouldn’t. There’s a uniform in room 4A for you. Put it on and meet me back on the bridge.” With that Captain Daley turned and left.

In Neenah’s room, lying across a dusty cot, was a dark brown and green Resistance uniform. It was without any insignia, but still clothing recognizably official and organized. Both the slacks, shirt, and jacket felt comfortable on her, if a bit loose around the waist. Perhaps a picky senator or ambassador would notice it wasn’t a tailored fit.

Looking at herself in a small mirror she fingered a strand of her long dark brown hair. There was nothing she could do about her eyes, she hadn’t brought any makeup, so they would have to stay pitch black against a round pale face. Her hair however she could do something about. Reaching into the bottom of her pack she pulled out a simple binyeo and a few pins. A long time ago, organizing her hair as such would take several minutes, but she had done this many times, before just about every court hearing. There had been a few times when she had been called up on very short notice back when she represented Casterfo, before his death panel as she like to call it. Now she wore two braids brought together in a large knot at the base of her head and held together by the small pins and larger binyeo.

The last thing she added was the blaster Daley had given her with its new holster. The weapon was on the smaller side; discreet was the word Neenah thought of when she held it in her hand. She shifted her belt and holster so the blaster’s center of mass rested secure just above her hip. Just after entering hyperspace Neenah tried to imagine herself kneeling in a foxhole, firing volleys with a heavy blaster next to the likes of Dameron, Ematt, or Captain Daley and she could not. That was not to say she had never been in a firefight during missions for the Resistance, but they had been always unplanned and she had spent much more time avoiding being shot rather than dealing back blows. This time becoming a soldier was still not part of the plan, but she supposed she was more likely to find herself in those circumstances.

With one more glance at her reflection she departed for the bridge. 

The first senator they meant to intercept was Senator Thecla who had been in route to the Hosnian system before its destruction. There were several places she could be now, but most hyperspace calculations projected that she would still be in route. Hence the reason Twilight’s Promise was about to enter the remnants of the Hosnian system.

The blue hypnotic haze morphed back into visible stars and much more.

The first thing Neenah noticed was that the Hosnian system’s sun shone red where she had previously remembered that it was a main sequence yellow star. However, there was so much debris here that the shattered planets and moons reddened the starlight. The longer Neenah looked the more larger fragments came into focus, tumbling against the glare the sun, surrounded by waves of debris and clouds of dust. 

“Shiraya’s word…” She had never seen such destruction. 

Captain Daley called out to the already launched A Wings. “Twilight 1 and 2, start scanning near hyperspace buoys from the anticenter going clockwise. Respond only to transponder or broadcasts from the Senator’s yacht. Otherwise keep communication to a minimum.”

A few people on the bridge chanced glances to the Captain, but she said nothing in reply to their silent concerns. Surely there had been others caught in the destruction, but their orders were clear. They were only there for the senator.

For several long minutes they heard nothing other than the typical sounds of uneventful space travel, they might as well have been on an inner solar system cruise rather than a search mission. Neenah kept her eyes peels out the front viewports, even though the ship’s scanners were certainly more sensitive than her two eyes. Over time she traced patterns of glowing crushed rock and exposed mantle that for the first time in billions of years were exposed to the vacuum of space. Such was the power of the First Order, now eliminated by Organa’s Resistance. Somewhere out there, Neenah thought, they were likely celebrating that unprecedented victory, mourning their perished comrades, and preparing for future battles. 

Neenah doubted she would be joining them on the field of battle or in ship to ship combat. Instead she could make sure that every Senator or whomever the Resistance needed heard from her that the Resistance saved the galaxy from the First Order’s superweapon and that her soldiers and pilots were still fighting for them.

The Sullustian navigator spun around in his seat and jerked his headset half off. “Captain, I’ve got her signal!” He projected the audio. Neenah saw another bridge office officer working on getting up visual data. “But…”

A signal did come through, but it was a cacophony of noise, no words could be heard. In the mix there were sounds that remined Neenah of thunder and occasionally…screams.

Daley’s face was emotionless. Within a few seconds she was barking back orders at the navigator to expedite an approach to the approximate position of the signal. Neenah heard Twilight’s Promise’s sublight engines power up and soon they were moving with such speed that the stars blurred. 

The A-wings reported in. _“Captain, we’re on a vector to intercept.”_

Without so much as a word someone on the bridge projected an image of the Senator’s vessel over the center viewport. There was a spacefaring yacht moving at high speeds, its engine lights strobing, and the ship was not alone. A dark colored light freighter, just a short distance behind, was easily keeping pace and firing upon the defenseless ship. Neenah felt her mouth open a second before a different, but this time coherent, signal came over the bridge broadcast. Her blood ran cold as she heard a familiar voice.

_“Unidentified approaching vessel do not interfere. Cease propulsion immediately and state your business.”_

Neenah spun on her feet to speak to Captain Daley who appeared serious, but did not share Neenah’s horrified expression. “That’s Agent Belost!”

As soon as Captain Daley heard and saw her expression Neenah knew her commanding officer had made a decision.

“Break off our attack!” She barked over the bridge comms. A split second later Neenah felt Twilight’s Promise respond; they was turning away from the stricken senator.

Agent’s Belost’s collected voice returned. _“Pelta-class frigate you are in First Order space. Power down all weapons and engines.”_

A moment later a tentative transmission came from one of their A-Wings.

_“Captain, we’re almost on top of you…”_

“Break off all attack! Expedite landing in the port hanger.” 

“Captain!” Another bridge officer called out, but Neenah did not look at her, only the yacht they were leaving behind filled her vision. “I’m detecting launches of smaller craft from the light freighter!”

“Keep the A-Wings docked.” Daley responded.

A moment later explosions riddled the spine of the yacht. Bright orange flames sputtered and died on contact with vacuum. The ship broke apart.

“Captain, the senator’s craft…” But Captain Daley wasn’t listening to the list of structure and system failures their scans reported. They were already completely turned around and accelerating away. Neenah dimly heard a voice say that the attacking freighter and all the launched fighters, First Order TIEs, was on headings to their position, but already she felt the vibration of hyperspace engines. The next moment they were gone.

All was quiet on the bridge. Neenah wished she had something to brace against, but she was standing in the center of the bridge, Captain Daley next to her, and nothing else.

Captain Daley turned to look at her. Neenah saw about half the others on the bridge make some eye contact with her as well. One of the engineers was in tears. Neenah still heard her own voice calling out in horror the name of the First Order officer whom they witnessed will Senator Thecla’s destruction.

“Captain,” Neenah softly ventured. “Are you familiar with Agent Belost?”

“Not at all. Now you tell me, who is he?”


End file.
